Arsonist Gets Three Years

November 27, 1985|By Justine Gerety, Staff writer

Joseph Batrin, described by a federal prosecutor as the ``assistant torch`` in a conspiracy to burn down the Johnson Street Bowling Lanes in Hollywood in July 1981, was sentenced Tuesday to three years in prison.

In September, former bowling alley owner Jerome Kaplan got the maximum five- year sentence for arson conspiracy after he admitted burning the building in the hope of collecting $1 million in insurance.

Batrin, 37, of Miami, appealed for leniency, saying he was trying to fight an alcohol problem and only recently took custody of his 17-year-old son.